Why Whistleblowing Protections Are Not Enough
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The launch of the CIISA standards marked a significant moment for the creative industries, signalling growing recognition of the need for stronger protections around bullying, harassment and misconduct across film, television and wider media environments.
But in a recent article for Broadcast Now, we highlight that whistleblowing protections alone will not solve the deeper cultural issues that have allowed harmful behaviour to persist for years.
Here is a taster of what our CEO and Co-Founder, Gemma McCall, discusses:
"It’s this silence that has created the whisper network, an informal system that many workers have trusted far more than formal reporting channels – whether that’s an informal DM warning a friend off a certain producer, or a WhatsApp thread that circulates information about abusers or toxic environments that people are scared to say out loud."
The article examines how a lack of trust in formal reporting systems has pushed many workers within the creative industries towards informal warning networks instead. In sectors shaped by freelance work, short-term contracts and power imbalances, many individuals still fear career repercussions for speaking up publicly.
Gemma also explores why the introduction of CIISA should be viewed as an opportunity for meaningful cultural reform rather than a purely procedural response to industry scrutiny.
"The industry needs to treat CIISA as an opportunity to create lasting cultural change, not just a compliance checklist."
Alongside discussing whistleblowing protections and accountability, we highlight the importance of trusted reporting pathways, psychological safety and visible action when concerns are raised. Without this, organisations risk reinforcing the same silence and mistrust that allowed harmful behaviour to become embedded in the first place.
Read our full article in Broadcast Now to explore what lasting cultural change could look like for the creative industries and why compliance alone will not be enough.
What we're reading
Latest insights from the front lines of workplace culture.
Why Whistleblowing Protections Are Not Enough
The launch of the CIISA standards marked a significant moment for the creative industries, signalling growing recognition of the need for stronger protections around bullying, harassment and misconduct across film, television and wider media environments. But in a recent article for Broadcast Now, we highlight that whistleblowing protections alone will not solve the deeper cultural issues that have allowed harmful behaviour to persist for years.
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Speaking Up in the Creative Industries – Embedding Standards in Practice
With the CIISA Standards having been in place for a year and with the introduction of the Employment Rights Act, expectations around creating a healthy and effective speak up culture are shifting. Organisations being asked to move beyond policy and demonstrate how they are creating real, effective speak-up cultures.
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From the Conference Floor: Real-World Lessons for HR Leaders
Workplace misconduct is evolving, and many HR processes are struggling to keep up. At this year’s Culture Shift Annual Conference, one thing was clear: what worked even a year ago isn’t enough anymore. In this webinar join Gemma McCall (CEO) and Charlotte Taylor (Training Manager and ED&I Specialist) as they bring the most important conversations from the conference floor into a practical session for HR, People and Compliance leaders. You’ll hear what industry experts and legal professionals are seeing right now, and what it means for how you design, communicate and manage your approach to misconduct.
Feeling inspired?
Take the first step toward preventative misconduct management with a demo of our Report + Support™ platform. We can show you how to breakdown reporting barriers with anonymous 2-way messaging, and how to act before things escalate with name-matching and pattern-spotting across our analytics dashboard.
